A RED alert has now been issued for Barcelona after the catastrophic flash floods in Valencia have cost the lives of at least 217 people.
Spain’s weather service has issued a red warning of “extreme danger” and urged people not to travel “unless strictly necessary.”
Flights have been cancelled at Barcelona’s El Prat airport
About 15 flights were diverted due to rainstorms
Passengers wading through water at the airport
RexFloods in Valencia have left at least 217 dead and several missing[/caption]
The deadly storms that have hit the Spanish Valencia region last week have now caused chaos in Barcelona with flash floods in the areas around the city’s airport.
Local officials in Catalonia have warned of “continuous and torrential” rain in two regions.
A red alert “extreme danger” warning is currently in place for Barcelona as the alert urged people not to travel “unless strictly necessary.”
Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente said airport operator Aena diverted 15 flights that were due to land in Barcelona El Prat airport this morning because of a rainstorm hitting the area.
Dramatic pictures show parts of the airport submerged in water – including the parking lot.
The minister said he was also suspending all commuter trains in northeast Catalonia.
It comes as last night flooding hit the area of Tarragona in the Catalonia region.
, a region with 8 million people, on request from civil protection officials.
Mobile phones in Barcelona screeched with an alert for extreme and continued rainfall on the southern outskirts of the city. The alert urged people to avoid any normally dry gorges or canals.
Puente said that the rains had forced air traffic controllers to change the course of 15 flights operating at Barcelonas airport, located on the southern flank of the city.
Several highways have been closed due to flooding.
Classes were cancelled in Tarragona, a city in southern Catalonia about halfway between Barcelona and Valencia, after a red alert for rains was issued.
Meanwhile, in Valencia, the search continued for bodies inside houses and thousands of wrecked cars strewn in the streets, on highways, and in canals that channeled last week’s deluge into populated areas.
Citizens, volunteers and thousands of soldiers and police officers are helping in the gargantuan clean-up effort of mud and debris.
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